Will Howard officially settling in, appreciating time at Ohio State

COLUMBUS — When Will Howard ran out of the tunnel inside the Horseshoe for his Ohio State debut on Aug. 31, he was set to see the second-largest crowd he had ever played in front of. And when he did it again the next week, it was the third-largest. Yes, Howard's first two home games with the Buckeyes were only topped by his trip to Texas with Oklahoma State last year for crowd sizes. Now every time he plays a home game, it'll be pushing for the record in Howard's career as a college starting quarterback. Of course, these fans inside the Horseshoe are all screaming for Howard, unlike when the Texas fans last year at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium were in a nail-biting Wildcats loss to the Longhorns. So it's a little easier for the fifth-year college starter to stay calm and collected rather than nervous. Besides, crowd sizes don't truly matter to Howard. He's learning to appreciate all 102,000-plus who pack the Horseshoe every Saturday in the fall, and he'll do the same when the Buckeyes take their show on the road next weekend for the first time.